118 lines
5.2 KiB
Plaintext
118 lines
5.2 KiB
Plaintext
Skyguide Issue 032
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-------------------------------- SKYGUIDE UK ---------------------------------
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| Your digest of the latest news in the world of Satellite & Cable TV |
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--------------------- Week Ending Sun January 16th 1994 ----------------------
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* AS IT WAS MEANT TO BE SEEN
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Sky Television has announced that it will begin screening selected showings
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of films in Widescreen, across its movie channels.
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Films being broadcast in Widescreen in the next month are:
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Once Upon A Crime (January 24th, Sky Movies)
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JFK (February 1st, Sky Movies)
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Final Analysis (February 8th, Sky Movies)
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Far And Away (February 14th, Sky Movies)
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The Prince Of Tides (February 22nd, The Movie Channel)
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Terminator 2 - Judgement Day (February 24th, Sky Movies)
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* SKY SPORTS 2 LAUNCHING IN FEBRUARY
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After a change of heart at Sky, Sky Sports 2 will launch, in a fashion, in
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February. It had previously been postponed until September.
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The channel will accomodate the West Indies cricket coverage when there are
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other major events screening on Sky Sports. The matches will provide
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prime-time evening viewing, starting from 4pm, but Sky did not want to
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displace other major sporting events which it carried as part of its evening
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line-up on Sky Sports.
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* SATELLITE SHUFFLES
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Marcopolo 1, the ex-BSB satellite recently purchased by the Swedish Space
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Corporation, has been named "Sirius", and is to be located next to Tele-X at
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5 degrees East by the end of February.
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SSC purchased the satellite from UK company NTL, who themselves inherited a
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right from the former IBA to purchase the satellite from Sky.
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Some concern has been raised that the satellite could cause interference to
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Thor (which was, ironically, Marcopolo 2 before it was sold, moved and
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renamed), positioned at 8 degrees east - just three degrees away. Since the
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two Marcopolo satellites both broadcast on the same set of frequencies, the
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close proximity of the satellites when broadcasting different signals could
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be cause for concern.
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Meanwhile, TV-Sat 2, owned by Deutche Bundespost Telekom, is to be moved
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alongside the three Astra satellites in March.
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SES and DBP recently announced their intentions to co-operate in research for
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a digital television system, and the shift of the German satellite is in
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pursuit of this. A package of DSR radio channels will be offered on one of
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the four TV-Sat 2 transponders, with the other three set for digital test
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transmissions.
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* SUPER IN TURKEY
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NBC Super Channel is understood to have put plans for an Astra service on the
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back burner while they set their sights on a transponder on the new Turksat
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satellite, set to be launched in a few weeks time. A transponder would give
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Super a strong presence in western Asia, as well as Europe.
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* AY! NO ES BUENO!
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Spanish satellite viewers are being offered legitimate Sky subscriber
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agreement forms and viewing cards by rogue satellite dealers.
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The cards and agreements are not for use outside the UK, and Sky believes
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that a batch of stolen Sky forms and Quickstart cards are being used.
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How the dealers have the cards authorised is not known, although Sky will
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doubtless be very keen to find out in order to plug the loophole.
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Sky can doubtless draw some comfort from the statistic that sales of their
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legitimate viewing cards are now rivalling sales of pirate cards in Spain.
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* THERE WAS A YOUNG MAN FROM DEVIZES..
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Irish radio station Radio Limerick is now available on Astra. The service is
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being carried on an audio subcarrier on Transponder 22 (MTV), and forms part
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of a Europe-wide service for Irish listeners.
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* MONEY
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UBS Phillips and Drew, a London Stockbroker, has forecast an operating profit
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of 518 million pounds in 1997.
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It also predicts profits of 170 million pounds in the financial year ending
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June 1994, and that the next three years will see dish ownership rise to six
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million.
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------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Skyguide Issue 32 Edited by Ant Purvis
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Skyguide is usually published fortnightly, but may occasionally publish weekly
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depending on news availability. You can find it on London's CIX system in the
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Skyguide conference, Fidonet's Satelite TV echo, the Packet Radio Network, and
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on internet in the alt.satellite.tv.europe newsgroup.
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Skyguide is not a commercial publication, nor is it a cut-down version of a
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printed journal. Nonetheless, it is copyright, and is not to be redistributed
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in any form without consent. (Just ask!)
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Errors and Omissions expected. If we get something wrong, let us know and
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we'll put it right!
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Back issues can be mailed to internet mailboxes on request.
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Comments, suggestions, stories and monetary donations are always appreciated!
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You can contact Skyguide in the following ways:
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CIX : mail to bignoise, or use the Skyguide/comments conference.
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Fidonet : Leave a message in the Satellite TV echo
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Internet: bignoise@cix.compulink.co.uk
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